At Catalyst this year I had the opportunity to hear Mitch Albom talk about his new book, "have a little faith." He spoke of getting to know Reb, his rabbi, after the strange request to speak at the rabbi's funeral. He also shared a parallel story about getting to know a minister in Detroit that had a strange path to the pastorate. After hearing Mitch speak, I knew it was a book that I would enjoy and indeed it was.
Albom's writing is very easy to follow and greatly helps you appreciate the people that he is writing about. One of my favorite stories was from Reb's past of him driving his son and a few of his young friends back to New Jersey from Philadelphia. "As they approach the toll booth, he asks if the boys have their passports.
'Passports?' they say.
'You mean you don't have your passports - and you expect to get into New Jersey?' he cries. 'Quick! Hide under that blanket! Don't breathe! Don't make a sound!'
In this, Albom relays how another family memory is forged.
Albom moves easily between Christian and Jewish, African-American and white, rich and poor and helps the reader grab a picture of a meaning full life and believing in something bigger than themselves.
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